Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Today: I maintained the integrity of my maintenance calorie budget, I remained refined sugar-free, I exceeded my daily water goal, and I stayed well connected with great support.

Ran out of time tonight! This is a rerun from last November:

Caryl writes: "Hi Sean. Need a bit of insight. How did you determine your non-negotiables and how did you stick to them when things got hard?"

First of all, you determine what's reasonable. Once you define the most critical elements of your plan boundaries- and you've determined they're doable on a typical day- then you make what I call an iron-clad decision. It's a promise to you from you, to give this element a non-negotiable stance come what may.

Think of it as a boulder in a stream. Life is the rushing water. No matter how fast that water rushes, the boulder isn't moving. The boulder isn't sacrificed or compromised. The water has no choice, but to make its way around it- and it does. And the boulder in the stream stands strong.

On a deeper level, this creates growth/development in other areas, like coping skills- it develops growth in learning what good accountability and support skills are about. The more consistency you gain, the more you'll prove to yourself that it is possible to maintain your plan in the toughest of times.

And that's the idea, a plan, not a diet.

You're developing a plan that takes care of what you need. In honoring your plan, you'll notice the side effect of consistent weight loss. This is what Dr. Lerner (Transformation Planet Podcast Episode 7) means when he speaks of the focus NOT being a diet, but rather, a food plan you can live with indefinitely. And it can still have the boundaries you need to feel satisfied. Especially when you reach maintenance mode and increase your calories. But again, it's all about the daily plan--and not all about the numbers on the scale. If you take care of your daily plan the weight loss will come.

How important are your non-negotiable elements?

It is the consistent maintenance of what you're willing to define as non-negotiable that creates growth, and in that--a natural evolution of you unfolds.

Think once more about the boulder in the stream. The boulder stands strong against the current and because it does, the stream evolves--changes course, grows and with the gift of time, develops different paths and canyons. If the boulder simply moved out of the way every time the water came rushing--the stream would have an easier path--one of least resistance. In the path of least resistance, nothing changes. No growth, no canyons.

I've often written about the effects of maintaining non-negotiables. The only way our food plan develops/evolves over time is by maintaining the integrity of the plan. All growth, all of our positive progress--it all depends on our willingness to create, accept and embrace certain non-negotiable elements of our plan. Determining what's reasonable is VERY important. If your non-negotiable is extreme, doesn't fit what you naturally like--is overly restrictive and monumentally demanding, it'll be a horrible experience.

Make it doable for you.

If we sacrifice our plan for whatever reason, the boundaries are broken and growth is stunted. If we develop a habit of consistently sacrificing the integrity of the non-negotiable elements of our plan, we literally become stuck--and often this "stuck" place becomes the very definition of insanity.

Life keeps coming. And there's no such thing as a "perfect time." There's only here and now and with it, a forever fluctuating rhythm to life. Let life flow around the boulders of your non-negotiables... and with the passage of time, you'll experience growth--you'll see and feel the changes, mentally, spiritually, and physically.

Developing your plan for accountability and support is important. When we decide to create non-negotiable elements of our plan, we lose a coping option.

Excess food was always my number one coping tool, albeit not a good one. It lied to me every time--because it never fixed anything.

When I developed my non-negotiables, it strongly encouraged me to either seek positive ways to cope or find other destructive ways to do it. We gotta cope one way or another.

My skills haven't been and still aren't perfect, but it's a practice each and every day. Staying connected with good support and seeking out those connections in whatever way you can is critically important. There are many options available!

Monday, May 29, 2017

Memorial Day is a day to remember those brave men and women who paid the ultimate price while serving our country. I wasn't aware of this definitive designation until a few years ago. In our family, we always marked Memorial Day by remembering and honoring not only veterans but loved ones we've lost over the years. We did that this weekend.

Today was a quiet day, for the most part. I was off most of it--and chose to just be okay with a slower day. I needed one of those.

I maintained the integrity (didn't exceed) of my maintenance calorie budget, I remained refined sugar-free, I exceeded my daily water goal, and I stayed well connected with great support.

I had a good food day, although I came up a little bit short tonight. And that happens every now and again.

I'm looking forward to a few things this week--and more time to write about a few things on my mind of late. Speaking of late-- I better hit the pillow. Thank you for your loyal readership!

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Today: I maintained the integrity of my maintenance calorie budget, I remained refined sugar-free, I exceeded my daily water goal, and I stayed well connected with great support.

Today was a fairly involved day. My midday location broadcast from a grocery store's meat and produce sale provided an opportunity for me to grab some super cheap deals while working at the same time. I bargain shop. Certain things I enjoy regularly, I often find on sale. If I go more than a couple weeks without salmon or sirloin, that means it hasn't been on sale! I grabbed petite sirloin today for $3.99 a pound! The salmon from earlier this week, $5.99 a pound because it was "reduced for quick sale," and I didn't waste any time cooking it!

What's interesting to me is how I once used the "I can't afford to eat well" excuse as a barrier between me and developing a food plan--when the truth is, back in my 500 pound days, I spent much more money on food.
I spent some time at mom's this evening, before working some at the studio. I'm going to bed early for a Saturday night because there's a good chance I'll be activated for severe weather coverage sometime between 1-3am. This will either be a long night of rest or a nap before middle-of-the-night work.

Friday, May 26, 2017

Today: I maintained the integrity of my maintenance calorie budget, I remained refined sugar-free, I exceeded my daily water goal, and I stayed well connected with good support.

I donated blood today. It doesn't matter how many times I do it, I'm always reminded of the time I tried, at 500 pounds--and couldn't because of raging high blood pressure. My blood pressure was perfect today. My pulse was 66. I felt fine. It might not seem like a big deal, but to me, it's things like this that serve as a constant reminder of why I do what I do each day.

My calorie budget ran high today, leaving me with very little left at the end of the day. After falling asleep watching Netflix, I've opted to pass on anything else--and really, less than 50 calories doesn't "buy" much!

I enjoyed a wonderful visit with mom tonight. She's doing well! She's excited because we're planning a Sunday afternoon Memorial Weekend excursion to Stillwater in order to visit the cemetery of our loved ones and visit with family.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Today: I maintained the integrity of my maintenance calorie budget, I remained refined sugar-free, I exceeded my daily water goal, I completed a good workout, and I stayed well connected with solid support.

The Parallel Streams

The "Life Stream" is everything happening in our day to day lives. The Life Stream includes the ups and downs, the challenges, the victories, the disappointments, The hectic schedules, the family dynamics, the workplace dynamics, the bills, the stress, the joys, the blessings, the expected and the unexpected, the good, the bad...It's life.

My fundamental elements stream includes my personal/spiritual morning "me time," the most peaceful five minutes of my entire day. My fundamental elements stream also includes maintaining the integrity of my calorie budget, remaining abstinent from refined sugar, logging everything in MyFitnessPal, photographing and tweeting, with description and calorie counts of everything I consume, every day, getting regular workouts and staying connected with one on one and group support interactions and of course, writing and publishing this blog, nightly--right before bed.

I've also referred to my fundamental elements as my "rails of support." I've set my accountability and support measures on high. When someone makes a comment in the direction of, "you're so strong" or "you must have amazing will power," I typically thank them and smile, but I know, truly, I'm not that strong and I don't have giant amounts of will power. What I have are solid rails of accountability and support--and I'm holding onto those rails, each day. They guide me, step by step.

The fundamental elements stream runs parallel, just below the life stream. The life stream is running in the foreground and the fundamental elements stream is running in the background--like a computer's anti-virus program.

I've written countless paragraphs within the archives of this blog all about the "life stream" and the "fundamental elements stream" and how they must run parallel to one another without crossing.

If we allow life and all of the energy it takes to maneuver, to negatively affect our ability to maintain consistency in the daily elements of our extraordinary care, then it always will. The frustration of inconsistency will be a common theme if the life stream is allowed to dip down into the fundamental elements stream on a regular basis.

And if we get too carried away, making the fundamental elements all consuming, then we run the risk of it crossing up into our life stream. And that's when it isn't any fun and we dread what we're doing every day.

I've had several challenges of late where I really had to remember the power of this "parallel streams" philosophy. I've discovered, when life demands more attention, we don't have to let go of the elements giving us our success, but we can scale back the amount of energy it uses to operate.

We don't sacrifice the integrity of the elements, we just do what we can do. For me--on super busy days, I have three non-negotiable requirements: 1. Stay within my calorie budget 2. Hold my abstinence from sugar sacred 3. Send the accountability tweets and write this blog--even if it's just the tweets of the day.

Parallel Streams republished by request.

The difference between struggling and not struggling: Acceptance with a positive embrace.

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

I work with some wonderful people in the groups I co-facilitate with Life Coach Kathleen and Jordan Burgess, and I have a small number of private one on one clients I mentor. The topic of getting enough rest comes up often as an exceptional point of challenge. When we're exhausted mentally and physically, how much energy do we have left for our extraordinary care? It takes a much larger effort to remain in the "give a flip" area when we're tired.

And so I ask questions. "What obstacles stand between you and better rest?" "What action steps are you willing to take that will enable you to create the space you need for enough rest?" "What accountability and support measures can you create in support of this resolve?"

Oh yeah-- I can ask the questions. More than once, I've prefaced this type of interaction with, "clearly I feel like a hypocrite here-- because these are questions I need to ask myself...but..."

Tonight, it's less talking, more doing.

I canceled my visit with mom tonight. We did have a few nice conversations today. I'll see her again tomorrow. And I canceled plans to do some work at the studio tonight.

I'm staying in and going to bed early enough in order to feel better rested tomorrow. This is just one night's plan.

Today was a fairly long day. I'll feel better tomorrow with tonight's action steps for more rest.

Today: I maintained the integrity of my maintenance calorie budget, I remained refined sugar-free, I exceeded my daily water goal, and I stayed well connected with wonderful support.

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Today: I maintained the integrity of my maintenance calorie budget, I remained refined sugar-free, I met my daily water goal, and I stayed well connected with solid support.

I slept well last night. You know that feeling when you wake and notice the difference? Like, yeah--that was good sleep. Everything like this--every experience is compared to the way it was. And honestly, with sleep and everything else, the way it was wasn't ever good. At my heaviest, the best sleep I could find was sitting upright. I suppose that's why I spent so many hours sleeping in my recliner. Sadly, my two daughters have vivid memories of dad constantly asleep in the recliner, because the nights in bed with extreme and for the longest time, untreated sleep apnea, were exhausting. At a healthy weight, my sleep is fine--sure, I don't get enough most of the time, but I can't blame my physical condition.

The list of health improvements is a very long list. The lab results on Thursday were better than I expected and night and day different than my previous 500-pound years.

These things are things I'd often use for my positive visualizations throughout my transformation. Taking a break, closing your eyes, and imagining the possibilities in as much vivid detail as you can muster--makes a profound difference. Sometimes in the beginning or in the middle of it, it's hard to imagine life any different than the moment--but imagining, visualizing where you're headed helps bring it to life because it serves as a powerful reminder of why you're doing what you're doing--and it also helps you believe it's possible. If you can dream it, you can do it. I started dreaming my transformation from Day 1.

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Good planning is essential to continued stability within my maintenance plan. Today's schedule put two broadcasts back to back with a thirty-minute separation. This was just enough time for me to opt for an on-plan lunch out instead of a backup food plan from my man-bag. I called the restaurant (my favorite Mexican place) ahead of time and my usual was ready upon arrival. I made it home early evening, grabbed a short refresher nap--and woke in time for some quality time with my grandson Noah before preparing dinner.

We visited with mom tonight at the nursing center. Noah put on a show for his grandma complete with a high energy dance routine. That little man has super amounts of energy!

I'm following some good advice tonight and opting to drop in bed earlier than normal for a Saturday night. This will help keep my Sunday on an even schedule. I've had considerable issues with severely tilting my Sundays of late by staying up excessively late.

Today: I maintained the integrity of my maintenance calorie budget, I remained refined sugar-free, I exceeded my water goal, and I stayed connected with good support contacts.

It was a successful day.

Body-image perspective is a very interesting thing. The car dealership where I was broadcasting today posted a video of the activities--and in it, they panned across the showroom floor and there I was interviewing the American Legion representative. Even after being at maintenance weight range for a long time, I still don't fully perceive my body size in line with reality. My brain says I should look a little bigger than I do. I noticed the video and was surprised. I know it's me...and I'm happy and grateful to be in maintenance mode at a healthy weight, but it's still strange to see myself through another's lens. This is a zoomed-in screenshot of that video:

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What's This All About?

"What's this all about? It's about progress, not perfection. It's about how you feel, not a number. It's about you and for you, not about or for anyone else. It's about living, not dying. It's about dreaming, not dreading. It's about freedom, not imprisonment. It's about opening your mind to the possibilities, not closing it to the changes. It's about acceptance, not rejection. It's about nourishing, not depriving. It's about a broadly consistent importance level, not short bursts of narrow focus. It's about wanting, not forcing. It's about doing your best, not trying to do another's best. It's about today, not tomorrow, or next week or the first of the month or January 1st. It's about committing to consistency with all your heart and holding on tight, not a halfhearted commitment easily released with the slightest breeze. It's about you deserving better, because you do. It's about you being important, because you are important." --Sean Anderson

The start. 505 pounds.

Before--Over 500 pounds

Before & Now

Before: Over 500lbs "After" photo: Around 220-230. Current weight: Between 206-210

About Sean Anderson

This blog started as a daily account of what became a 275 pound weight loss. The archives contain over 1,700 individual blog posts. Sean hit his goal weight of 230 in November 2010 and maintained for 1.5 years. Then spent the following 1.5 years regaining 164 pounds. The daily postings from April 2014 to present, chronicle Sean's successful turnaround from relapse/regain. Currently weighing around 204 and maintaining well, Sean continues to write daily about the practices and disciplines of his continued recovery.